


Of Jarveys and Jinxes – [Newt Scamander x OC]

by TechnoFay



Category: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (Movies)
Genre: Attempt at Humor, Awkward Crush, Awkward Romance, Awkwardness, Budding Love, Canon Universe, Crushes, F/M, Fluff, Good Slytherins, Hogwarts, Hufflepuff, Hufflepuff & Slytherin Inter-House Friendships, Humor, Original Character(s), Other Additional Tags to Be Added, POV Original Female Character, Pre-Canon, School, Slytherin, Undecided Relationship(s), Young Love, young Newt
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-01-21
Updated: 2017-01-29
Packaged: 2018-09-18 23:00:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,852
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9406739
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TechnoFay/pseuds/TechnoFay
Summary: Slytherin outcast Rue Hilderic meets Newt Scamander. An awkward budding friendship, but will it last through their schooling?





	1. Beginnings

A crisp autumn morning dawned, but Rue Hilderic was loathe to leave her warm bed, for there were no classes today. But that paper for Magical History was due and she hadn't even started...

She groaned loudly, rolling over and rubbing her face, sending a casual glance to the other girls in her dorm, most whom were already out of bed and half dressed and none whom were paying her any mind. She supposed it would be best if she did the same, reluctantly slipping out of bed and dressing herself before gathering her things from underneath her bed.

She lugged her bookbag all the way down to the Great Hall, nose in a book for the time being as she weaved through the crowded pathway. Just like any other morning.

While normally adept at dodging around others, today she did not fare so well, turning a corner and violently colliding with another student, sending their bookbags flying in different directions. She sat there, momentarily stunned at the impact before letting out a loud huff and began gathering her scattered books off the floor, brushing her hair out of her face.

“Sorry.”

Rue looked up to the source of the soft voice, blinking in surprise as it had been the student she had run into. A pale freckled boy, with copper hair and blue eyes. He was so busy picking up his own things, she was unsure he even spoke. Perhaps it had been all in her imagination.

“Crawling on the ground again? I guess I shouldn't be surprised since it's where dogs like you belong.” She was stowing away the last of her books when a very annoying and familiar face poked her head beside hers. Dark hair and eyes and a rather unpleasant sneer, it was her usual tormenter, Jonathan Hawkins, flanked by a crowd of pure-blood Slytherins whom liked to make her life miserable.

Her eyes narrowed, then closed.

“Don't you have somewhere else to be Jonathan? Just leave me alone,” she growled, all too aware of her classmates staring at her. The boy was off to the side behind her, and she would have forgotten he was there if Jonathan hadn't spoke to him next.

“Oy! If it isn't the beast boy himself! Making new doggie friends?” Rue had cut in before the boy or Jonathan could do anything else; if being dismissive wouldn't work, than she would try a different approach, as they at least responded to aggression.

“Piss off Jonathan.” Rue pulled out her wand; ebony with dragon heartstring, making the boys step back and draw their own wands. They shifted nervously, eyes on her wand as she pointed it at them, former confidence faded now that this slight female was armed.

“Leave. Now.” The tone in her voice left little room for argument, as all of them were more than aware of her willingness to send others to the infirmary.

Or so they heard.

Jonathan snorted, eyes betraying him and darting over nervously as he waved to his lackeys to retreat. She watched them scurry away with a quiet, yet somehow bitter satisfaction. Strange, as you'd think it would be almost comforting given it was such a familiar sight, but it was not. There was too much of this, her looming over someone and them running away.

Granted, it hadn't always been this way; once she had been a bright eyed child, ten years old and full of wonder as she had drifted over the lake towards the castle. She had been excited to make new friends, to finally learn more about the magic that her mother had been absent to teach and father unable, as her mother's books could only say so much to an inexperienced witch.

But most of all; to be around others like herself.

And there were quite a few; Halfbloods that is, but given she ended up- against all odds- in the Slytherin house, she found herself more alone than she had been at home. A good number of the Pureblooded Slytherins wanted little to do with her, given her low social standing, and the other houses were hesitant to approach her, a situation she only made worse after The Incident.

Rue scoffed at her own inner thoughts, stowing away her wand and gathering her books back up, continuing on her way to the library, settling in one of the far corners. She had been there for about twenty minutes or so, just long enough to get immersed in her book when a quiet voice spoke from her left.

“Hello,” As soft and gentle as the voice was, she jumped nonetheless as if something had bit her, stifling a cry so as to not enrage the librarian. She looked up warily, expecting to see one of the Slytherin boys whom had harassed her earlier but was instead greeted by a yellow badge and a set of blue eyes.

Those eyes...

She shook her head, realizing that it was the same boy she had bumped into earlier in the Great Hall, a boy she now recognized as a fellow fifth year. Newton Scamander she believed his name was, or at least from what she remembered the teachers calling him in the classes they shared. He was an odd one, kept to himself mostly, but had a kind look to him.

“Look, you don't have to thank me for helping you, it's no big deal.” She waved her hand dismissively, ready to get back to her study and end this rather awkward encounter.

“I'm not here to thank you, you have one of my schoolbooks,” the boy replied without missing a beat, gesturing to her bag.

“Wha...?” Rue looked taken aback by his words as much as his swift reply, but as she thought about it, she was rather foolish to assume in the first place.

She sheepishly averted her gaze and dug into her bag, scolding herself again, as sure enough, there was his book. One on magical creatures, foreign to her own collection of charm books and magical history, though his copy was tattered and worn as if it had seen much use.

“Sorry... here.” She passed him back the book, ducking her head as she felt her cheeks burning in shame. Way to make a total ass of yourself...

“No harm done. I must be going now, thank you,” Newton said, glancing up at her for a second to give her a small smile, a gesture which she found to be the most profound point of their entire interaction. She watched as he left, his arm clutching the book she had accidentally taken as if is was some precious cargo.

She didn't know it yet, but she would be seeing a lot more of Newton Scamander from now on.

 


	2. Partners?

Monday morning rolled around, and including catching a glimpse of Newt as she passed by to sit at the Slytherin table for breakfast, Rue had seen him fifteen times since their run in two days ago. Now, whether that was because she was actively seeking him out, or was now more astute of her surroundings after their collision, she was not sure.

Part of her wondered if the only reason she was thinking about it, was because – aside from her professors – he had been the only person to show her any kindness, and even if they only talked for a few minutes, he didn't to try to avoid her like most of the other students did. Or so it seemed anyway.

She shoved that thought to the back of her mind for the dozenth time, settling at the very end of the table away from everyone else, her focus now on loading her plate with food and avoiding eye contact with the other Slytherins.

After breakfast, she scanned over her schedule, a delighted look on her face as she had double Transfiguration today after lunch; Professor Dumbledore was by far her favorite teacher, even though she was a little more proficient in Charms.

But first, she would have to make it through double Herbology, followed by Potions then Care of Magical Creatures. Grimacing at the thought of being in the greenhouse so early in the morning, she tucked away her schedule and began eating; she never was fond of playing in the dirt, but the class was at least interesting.

After breakfast, she trailed out to the greenhouses behind her classmates, taking a spot at the very end of the table. Her mouth was set into a thin line as she could feel the odd looks being tossed her way; nothing new to see here, she thought grimly, her eyes wandering away from her fellow Slytherins, noticing they were having class with the Hufflepuffs today.

The thought strangely brightened her mood, and she attempted to subtly check and see if Newton was anywhere among the crowds before the professor started class, spying his freckled face about halfway down the row from where she was at just in time for class to start.

“Now pair up! Everyone find a partner,” Professor Beery called, clapping his hands together to quiet the excited muttering that had swept through the crowds.

“Today we will be working with Fanged Geraniums, but as our stock is unfortunately low, I haven't enough for everyone to have their own.” He went to drone on about the notes they would need to take as Fanged Geraniums were a common specimen they would see in their O.W.L. exams, while Rue sagged against the table, watching everyone else pair up.

Terrific... maybe she would get lucky and have her own plant... or work with Professor Beery. The professor's voice sliced through her thoughts and she straightened.

“Mr. Scamander, you and Miss Hilderic work together since everyone else is paired,” he spoke, and the pair met each others gazes. Well, it could be far worse, she reasoned, watching Newt gather his things and make his way to the other end of the table.

“So we met again.”

“Umm... yeah, hello again. Sorry I took your book.” Rue dipped her head in embarrassment; wanting nothing more than to disappear. What a stupid thing to say.

“It's alright, I should thank you for getting it back,” he said, offering her a slight smile that made he feel a little better. Socializing was never a strong point for her, and she soon learned that Newt wasn't that different. They worked awhile in silence, awkwardly passing each other tools and bumping shoulders.

Despite not speaking to one another, they managed to be one of the first pairs to finish pruning and fertilizing their Fanged Geranium, and were now sitting back finishing their notes. Rue could hear whispers being directed at them and cast a sideways glance at Newt, whom was absorbed in his work.

Was he not hearing this?

Or perhaps he was just ignoring it...

The bell chiming for the end of class broke her out of her thoughts, and she quickly gathered her things, looking back at Newt and smiling at him.

“Well... bye then,” she said, sending him a small wave, and Newt raised his head, clearly bewildered that he was being talked to.

“Oh, um... goodbye then,” he replied, watching her trot back up to the castle and disappear out of sight.

* * *

 

Potions passed by rather quickly for Rue, and soon she found herself trudging back out onto the grounds for Care of Magical Creatures. There was already a growing cluster of students, and what looked to be a pin set up. Her classmates were huddled away from the pin, and as soon as Rue got closer she saw why.

Little bursts of fire were puffing above the edge of the fence and Rue grimaced, hesitant now to go down to class.

Professor Kettleburn was known for pushing the envelope on what was acceptable at Hogwarts, so Rue wouldn't be surprised if there were half a dozen baby dragons in there, but the tension left her body when she saw they were fire crabs instead.

Turning her attention away from the fire crabs, she noted that once again, she was sharing class with the Hufflepuffs, her expression brightening as she scanned the group for Newt, unaware that he was right behind her.

“Fantastic creatures, aren't they?” His voice made her jump, and Rue whipped around, sputtering.

“What? Umm... the fire crabs?” She looked down into the pin, watching the creatures amble around, their shells glittering brightly in the midday sun. They wer econsiderably smaller than what she'd read about, so she supposed they weren't fully grown; a remarkable thought given the smallest one was about the size of a dinner plate. Newt walked over and leaned into the pin to get a better look at one of the fire crabs, keeping a distance from the back end of the creature.

“Yeah, they're really pretty. Aren't they protected or something?” She asked, trying to make conversation. Newt looked up at her, his face lighting up at the question. Perhaps she was interested in magical creatures as well?

“They are, from muggles as well as wizards, but they can be kept as pets. Er... if you got a license that is.” Rue slowly edged closer to join Newt as he prattled on about the fire crabs, his excitement infecting her.

After a few minutes, it was more than apparent that this was his favorite subject, and Rue smiled as he went on. A strange feeling crept over her, a sort of... kinship and she clung to the feeling until Professor Kettleburn called for class to start. The pair exchanged looks and stepped over to hover at the edge of the group as the Professor began to lecture.

“Alright students! Today we will be working with the fire crab. They commonly come up in your O.W.L.s, and we'll be taking a closer on the proper care of such creatures.” His went on to explain the basic principals and then concluded with calling for everyone to group up. Truthfully, Rue rather roll around in the pin with the fire crabs then be anywhere near the others, but Newt stepped in and sent him a look of gratitude.

“So umm... shall we pair up again Miss Hilderic?” He said her last name and Rue stifled a small snort of amusement.

“Rue, you can call me Rue and... it's Newton correct?”

“I prefer Newt,” he replied, stretching into the pin to claim one of the fire crabs. They sat in the grass as Newt led Rue through the steps of fire crab care, more vocal now that he had a chance to warm up to her and the opportunity to instruct someone else on his favorite subject.

“And that's how you clean their shell.”

Rue nodded her head, looking impressed. “It's not all that hard, is it? You just have to be careful to not sneak up on them,” she said, offering the creature a small handful of food and watching with delight as it began to eat. Newt observed all of this with pride, lifting his head as the bell rang.

They turned in their fire crab, jotting down notes about today's homework – twelve inches of parchment on fire crab care and habitat – then headed up to the castle together for lunch. Rue could hear the whispering all around them, but she chose to ignore it, striking up conversation with Newt instead.

“I don't know about you, but I'm starting to think that the professors weren't kidding about O.W.L. year being hard,” she said, indicating her growing list of homework. Newt looked to her and chuckled.

“Perhaps, but it's still exciting all the same. I was ready to get into the more difficult topics.”

“Oh? Like... dragon taming?” she teased, then went on. “Honestly, I feel the same way; my only worry is I'll drown in homework before I get the chance to enjoy what I'm learning,” she sighed, a sour expression on her face until thought struck her, and she spoke again without thinking about it beforehand.

“But perhaps it would be easier if I had someone to study with?” Rue asked. Newt was stunned by the revelation and she quickly tried to back peddle and amend her statement. “That is, if you're not busy doing other things of course.”

“Besides helping Professor Kettleburn every now and then, I'm not really busy.” Newt regarded her as they entered the great hall, a thoughtful expression on his face. Rue waited on pins and nettles, her features relaxing when he finally smiled at her.

“Why not? Shall we meet in the library after classes today?”

“Sounds brilliant.” They stopped in front of the Slytherin table to make arrangements for their meeting, then Rue waved Newt off, sinking onto the bench, her insides feeling queasy. After all these years, was she actually making a friend? She sure hoped so. Newt was an odd one, but it wasn't as if she was that normal to begin with.

She grinned to herself and began eating; maybe this year wouldn't be so terrible after all.

 


End file.
